The present invention relates to a chain connector.
The present inventor's co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 07/680,905 filed Apr. 5, 1991 teaches a novel link for connecting a chain consisting of a plurality of conventional links including two terminal links each having two inner chain plates. The novel link has a first outer chain plate, two pins, and a second outer chain plate. The first outer chain plate has two circular holes. Each pin has, at a first end thereof, an enlarged flat head and, at a second end thereof, a flat head near which a groove extends to thereby form a neck. The second outer chain plate has two holes each consisting of a relatively large semicircular hole partially overlapping with a relatively small semicircular hole. A distance between centers of the relatively large semicircular holes is less than a distance between the pins, while a distance between centers of the two relatively small semicircular holes is the same as the distance between the pins.
To assemble a chain, (a) the flat head of each pin is inserted through circular holes of the first outer chain plate and of the inner chain plates of each terminal link of the chain; (b) the first outer chain plate is bent to thereby move the flat heads of the pins toward each other, thereby allowing each head to be inserted through each relatively large semicircular hole; and (c) the first outer chain plate is released, whereby each neck is received in each relatively small semicircular hole. When used, the chain is subject to a tension to thereby urge each neck to be received in each relatively small semicircular hole, thereby firmly connecting the chain.
The present inventor's co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 07/816,429 filed Dec. 31, 1991 discloses a chain consisting of links as taught in the above-mentioned application. Therefore, the length of the chain is easily adjustable because each link could be disengaged therefrom without any tools.
A major problem of the above-mentioned application is that it is difficult to bend the pins and to maintain the outer chain plate in position at the same time. The present invention is intended to solve this problem.